HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (4/22/13) – The ceremony for the 47th Round Table - A Magazine for the Arts will be held Thursday, April 25 at noon in HCC’s Round Table Park with the College’s Library as an alternate site in case of inclement weather. The reading is free, open to the public and will feature readings by contributors to this year's edition.

The magazine is Hopkinsville Community College’s annual literary and art competition. The late Frances G. Thomas began the magazine. This year’s edition is dedicated to her and her HCC creative writing students.

Thursday’s event, celebrating one of the college’s oldest and most significant traditions, will include an awards presentation recognizing community members and HCC faculty and staff that contributed to the current issue of the magazine; readings by several of the magazine’s contributors; and the unveiling of the 2013 edition of the Round Table.

For the 47th edition of the Round Table, the editorial staff received submissions from over 100 different area authors and visual artists consisting of nearly 300 pages of poetry and prose, as well as over 100 works of art. All work was judged anonymously by the editorial staff, which consists of HCC creative writing students and faculty advisor Brett Ralph. This year's staff was as follows: poetry editors: Jessica Byrum, Heather L. Fryer, and Kaylee Quertermous; fiction editors: Brandon Fuston and Debra Sale; and art editors: Heather L. Fryer and Debra Sale.

Various HCC staff and faculty member Bernd Sauermann did proofreading.

The ceremony will include the announcement of this year's Round Table Literary Awards and Roger Selvidge Memorial Art Awards, which were judged by writer Lynnell Major Edwards, who read at HCC in October as part of the Hoptown Reading Series. The following award winners will be revealed during Thursday’s event:

The Roger Selvidge Memorial Art Awards recognize outstanding work by area visual artists. They are named after the late Roger Selvidge, an area artist, photographer, author, retired high school teacher, and champion of the arts.

The Harbinger Awards recognize outstanding work by area elementary and middle school students, in hopes that it represents a harbinger of creative endeavors to come.

The Nora Dunbar Awards recognize outstanding work by area high school students and are named for retired Christian County English instructor Nora Dunbar.

The Edgar Cayce Awards recognize outstanding achievement in the prose poem, that most surreal and elusive form, and are named for Christian County clairvoyant Edgar Cayce, who saw this world unlike anyone else.

The Carl Suddeath Awards recognize outstanding work by Hopkinsville Community College faculty and staff members. They are named for retired HCC English professor and longtime Round Table contributor Carl Suddeath.

The Frances G. Thomas Awards recognize outstanding poetry and prose by Hopkinsville Community College students. They are named for the late HCC English professor and Round Table founder Frances G. Thomas.

The 2013 edition of the Round Table will be available for purchase at the event.